Since I'm tired of watching AFC East film, I figured it was a good time to start looking ahead to the Dec. 17 AFC showdown between the Steelers and Patriots. (If you want to get a sense of just what New England is up against this week, check out Chris' breakdown of the Dolphins here.) We'll be reviewing each of the Steelers' five games leading up to the Patriots, starting with Pittsburgh's 20-17 victory over the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Then we'll be putting together a complete scouting report the week of the game. Remember, these are judgments made ONLY IN THIS GAME and not on anyone's career, or potential careers.
Game highlights
- If the DE tandem of Stephon Tuitt and Cam Heyward isn't the best in the league, then I'd like to see who's better. The duo combined for 11 total QB pressures (the Colts dropped back just 27 times) and three stuffed runs. Yes, it's the Colts ... but these guys do this against everyone. Tuitt's a little more of an athlete, but they're both powerful, quick and smart. They will be a handful for the Patriots' right tackle (Tuitt) and left guard (Heyward) if they stay healthy. Just relentless and they rarely come off the field. Here is just one three-play sequence:
- As far as the Steelers' defense, they used pressure concepts on 44.4 percent of snaps, and most of them came in the second half when they were behind and smelled blood in the water against Jacoby Brissett.
- The more the Colts reduced their splits by the receivers (got closer to the tackle box), the more the Steelers were prone to send pressure. Impressed by SS Sean Davis. He'll whiff on a few tackles, but he comes into the box well and more often than not is around the ball. Davis is used to pressure a lot, along with nickel corner Mike Hilton. He tends to peek into the backfield though.
- Everyone's solid against the run except for ROLB T.J. Watt, who looks and plays like a rookie. Very soft on the edge.
- Gave up two 60-yard touchdowns when Artie Burns and Coty Sensabaugh didn't execute Cover 3 properly. Burns looked like he was targeted for a double move in off coverage.
- Offensively, this was the Steelers offense in a nutshell: running Le'Veon Bell with power, shallow crossers and drag routes, WR and RB screens, and a few shot plays down the right sideline. That was it. Not much diversification.
- Ben Roethlisberger feels and reacts to pressure more than he used to. But when it's crunch time, he'll stand in and take the hit.
- It was very surprising, considering they're coached by Mike Munchak and the talent level, but the offensive line is not very good. The pad level is not good overall and it was shocking to see RG David DeCastro, who was recently the best at his position in the NFL, look very ordinary.
- Overall, the team has a distinct lack of polish. Just a general sloppiness over the entire team, although the front seven is pretty good. This team should be better than it is. Maybe it was just a bad game. We'll have to see in the coming days.
Here are the positional ratings for the Steelers against the Colts:
Quarterback (4 out of 5)
Roethlisberger was not good in the first half of this game, as he was affected by the rush and didn't come close to hitting on a few shot plays. He also dropped a snap that was right in his hands (more sloppiness), and threw a prayer into Cover 3 that was intercepted easily ... It all changed in the second half. He threw a perfect pass down the right sideline to JuJu Smith-Schuster, and then had a typical Big Ben play to spring Antonio Brown (we see Bad and then Good Ben below):
Running backs (2.5 out of 5)
The Colts did a nice job bottling up Bell to the tune of 80 yards on 26 carries. Didn't make anyone miss in this game. That being said, his line wasn't very good. ... Backup James Conner actually looked pretty good on his one, 12-yard carry.
Receivers (2.5 out of 5)
A drop and OPI by Brown, an OPI against Eli Rodgers and some poor blocking kept this group down (more slop). Smith-Schuster was the better of the receivers. ... TE Jesse James can't block his way out of a paper bag.
Offensive line (1.5 out of 5)
Everyone had issues in this unit, including RT Marcus Gilbert (now suspended) who was the best and allowed three hurries. ... Former Patriots OLB Jabaal Sheard had a monster game against both tackles. Think New England would like to have him back for this game? ... The rest of the unit from average to bad: Pouncey, DeCastro, Foster and Villanueva. ... Just really poor pad level. Everyone is way too high, especially the tackles. ... Looks like Pittsburgh is being taught to "catch" the rushers, at least at tackles. That calls for the lineman to basically bearhug the rusher as he gets into his chest. It's not working for these guys. Opponents straight arm the blockers and move them on skates. ... The Steelers love to pull Foster, sometimes with a lineman or a TE, and none of them are nearly as powerful as Patriots RG Shaq Mason. ... This game made me ask, "What has happened to DeCastro?" He used to be the best RG in the game. He was far from that in this game.
DEFENSE
Defensive line (5 out of 5)
Just an awesome performance by this entire group. Didn't have anyone with a blown gap or missed tackle. Perfect. ... Even nose tackle Javon Hargrave and backup DE Tyson Alualu were effective with their playing time.
Linebackers (3.5 out of 5)
Outside of Watt, who looks like he's a year away, this group was very good with the ILBs, Vance Williams, and Ryan Shazier, leading the way. ... Williams can rush and get off blocks in the running game. ... Shazier is still a light, run-and-hit guy but he feels the game better. The question has and always will be whether he is durable enough at his size in this scheme. (For what it's worth, it's clear now that Shazier will not face the Patriots later this month.) ... This game had me wondering if the Steelers should just go to a 4-3. They have the line for it.
Secondary (2.5 out of 5)
Two bad, big plays marred this game, and the cornerbacks are always the concern with the Steelers, even before Joe Haden left with injury. Here are the touchdowns:
SPECIAL TEAMS
Either punter Jordan Berry had the game of his life, or he's on his way to an All-Pro season. ... Great punt coverage unit. Even Berry's big leg couldn't outkick them... The Steelers had a FG blocked (Gilbert) got run over and a FG miss by Chris Boswell. Mind you, this was inside. ... Antonio Brown failed to field three punts. More slop.
THREE UP
LE-91 Stephon Tuitt: Had an incredible 11 impactful plays without an error. Fast, powerful and smart. A deadly combination.
RE-97 Cam Heyward: Had himself nine impactful plays with zero errors. Not as fast as Tuitt, but is incredibly powerful and nimble for his size.
P Jordan Berry: I don't often praise punters, but this guy was awesome in this game with a 49.5 average, 46.7 net and three inside the 20-yard line. Five of his six punts had hangtimes of over 4.8 seconds. He was most definitely a weapon in this game.
Honorable mention: SS-28 Sean Davis, ILB-98 Vince Williams, ILB-50 Ryan Shazier, SCB-31 Mike Hilton, QB-7 Ben Roethlisberger.
THREE DOWN
ROLB-90 T.J. Watt: Gave up four edges in the run game and doesn't offer much in pass rush or coverage. Looks like he's feeling his way as a rookie. Not exceptional in any way.
LT-78 Alejandro Villanueva: LG Ramon Foster might have given up more pressure, but Villaneuva was the weaker player on a down-to-down basis. Pad level was way too high and he gives up his chest, so he's easily moved for a big player.
RCB-25 Artie Burns, LCB-24 Coty Sensabaugh: Each made mistakes playing Cover 3 in giving up 60-yard passing touchdowns.
Dishonorable mention: TE Jessie James, LG Ramon Foster, PK Chris Boswell.